Fun Zones

Shopping centers like Paseo Colorado, Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District, South and North Lake Avenue, and others are well-known for their ability to cater to a diverse clientele. From gadget shops and high-end eateries to home furnishings, fashion and more, it’s all available in a city that respects and represents the bargain-hunter and luxury shopper alike.

There seems to be something for everyone, and a vast number of places to find whatever it is. With a little research and strategizing, holiday shopping in Pasadena for the must-haves on your gift list can be pleasantly pain-free.

Online shopping continues to increase in popularity every year, and according to the National Retail Federation (nrf.com), “Americans plan to do almost half of their holiday shopping online this year,” and that one in five of those who own smartphones will use them to purchase holiday merchandise.

But if you like bustling crowds and hands-on shopping, these might be the best places to find what you need.

Old Pasadena

The Apple TV is selling really well, and so is the iPad Pro. Both can be found at Target at 3120 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, and at the Apple Store at 54 W. Colorado Blvd., although Gustav in the Apple Store’s Inventory Department hastens to mention that “right now we’re sold out of the iPad Pro because that’s a new release and they tend to sell quicker.”

Paseo Colorado Mall

280 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena

(877) 225-5337

“Star Wars” dominates this year’s gift market for kids and fanboys with the Air Hogs Star Wars RC Millennium Falcon ($115 retail). Air Hogs presents its latest in remote-controlled fun with this lifelike and detailed Millennium Falcon quadcopter and BB8 ($150 approx. retail), the newest character droid in the “Star Wars” franchise, from its upcoming release, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” You can find the BB-8 at Brookstone in the Paseo Colorado Mall.

Playhouse District

With bookstores closing throughout the country due to the dominance of online sellers like Amazon, local shoppers are lucky to have the Southland’s biggest independent bookstore in our own backyard. This year, head book buyer Sherri Gallentine said she expects Patti Smith’s memoir “M-Train” to do very well, along with the cookbook “My Kitchen Year,” by Ruth Reichl, andJ.K Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone: Illustrated Edition.” Vroman’s Winter Wonderland kicks off on Dec. 6 and the Gingerbread House Decorating Party is Dec. 13.

Eagle Rock Plaza

2700 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock

(323) 256-2147

Although video game sales have fallen from $9.9 billion in 2009 to $5.3 billion in 2014, they are still one of the top sellers during the holiday season, and this year looks like it will be no exception, as survival shoot ’em ups continue to dominate the market. At Gamestop, “Fallout 4,” a post-apocalyptic romp, is selling well along with the latest games in the mega franchises “Black Ops” and “Halo.” All retail at $60, with special editions going as high as $80.

Beats by Dre continue to sell big at the Apple Store. The throwback ’70s-style headphones — which now includes accessories such as earbuds, laptop computers and phones — have the capability to reproduce the sound quality that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios, according to Apple. Of course there are more affordable copycats on the market, but Beats is still the one that turned headphones into a billion-dollar industry.

Union Station Homeless Services Dinner in the Park offers free Thanksgiving dinner to homeless individuals, low-income people, the elderly and others who simply have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.